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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Who Is In Charge?

With today being the last day Westfield Police Chief John M. Parizeau reports to work, albeit he will still hold the status of being Westfield's highest ranking law enforcement official until his much anticipated retirement in August, TFOTM asks, "Who will be entrusted with the responsibility of running the day to day operations of the department?"

Past practice has revealed that one of the two police department captains has been appointed by town officials to serve in the capacity of "Acting Chief" until a successor is named and the outgoing police chief officially retires.

Town officials have remained silent as to what process will take place to determine who will lead the men and women of the WPD into the foreseeable future. Why the secrecy from a town governoring body that preaches openness and transparency? TFoTM will give town officials the benefit of the doubt by recognizing that perhaps no such selection process has been determined

The fact of the matter is that the last two chief of police selection processes were clouded in alleged corruption and results tampering that questions whether or not a fair and unbiased selection process can be implemented by some town officials that were involved in the last selection process resulting in Parizeau becoming police chief.

Town Administrator Jim Gildea and Mayor Andy Skibitsky were primarily responsible for the naming of Parizeau in 2006 at a time when outgoing police chief Bernard Tracy left the department.

The Union County Prosecutor's Office has taken over police departments in the past until issues regarding the selection of a new police chief can be resolved.

With Westfield's track record under the leadership of Gildea and Skibitsky regarding the appointment of a police chief to "protect and serve" Westfield, maybe it's time for County law enforcement officials to step in and take over.

The mayor and council have an opportunity to set the course of the police departments future by selecting someone that can be held to the most highest of standards and whose character, values, and integrity, will not be compromised by politics, both literally and figuratively. With that being said, it's quite obvious that Gildea and Skibitsky should not be involved in the selection of Westfield's next police chief. The remaining members of the town council have been tainted by the Mayor and their allegiance to him should eliminate their ability to be impartial. An outside agency should be responsible for determining who the next chief will be. One more strike (Tracy was #1 and Parizeua was #2) and its three strikes your out. Why even chance a third strike? Hasn't this town learned from its mistakes?

If you want integrity in the selection process ensure that NO current Westfield office / leader be considered for the position. Go outside. The sense of entitlement, the dirty things that have been going on by officers and leaders alike, and the complicity of all of them would mean more of the same if we hired from within. Hiring from the outside would send a message to everyone.